Premier Bolstering Commercial Relationships in India

Released on February 20, 2024

Mission's Focus is on Opportunities in Natural Resources, Agriculture, Education

Today, Premier Scott Moe is leading a delegation to India to maintain and grow trade opportunities, increase investment attraction, and showcase Saskatchewan's capacity to foster food and energy security goals.

The Premier's mission will focus on the province's leadership in natural resources, agri-value, and sustainability. This is especially important given our 2023 agri-food exports to India were valued at over $700 million. 

"This is an important mission for Saskatchewan as we continue to build relationships with India," Premier Scott Moe said. "We have built strong relationships over a number of decades which has been crucial to building opportunities and protecting communities and jobs back home." 

One of the main events the Premier will be attending is the Raisina Dialogue, where he has been invited to participate as a speaker. The Raisina Dialogue is an annual conference held in New Delhi that brings together key stakeholders and policymakers from across the world to discuss global issues. During the event, Premier Moe will be speaking about Saskatchewan's sustainable agriculture practices and reliable supply chain. 

Post-secondary education will also be a priority for the mission. Representatives from the University of Saskatchewan will be joining the delegation to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with QPiAI, a tech company based in India. Premier Moe will sign another MOU on behalf of the Ministry of Advanced Education with the Shastri Indo Canadian Institute to promote educational collaboration. 

"Global problems cannot be solved by thinking and acting in silos, which is why our relationship with India is valuable for our post-secondary sector," University of Saskatchewan Vice-President Research Baljit Singh said. "USask is eager to build ongoing and new partnerships in India as these opportunities support our mission to be what the world needs. We are committed to strengthening Saskatchewan through academia, research and innovation and look forward to working with Premier Moe's team on this mission."

In 2023, total Canadian exports to India were valued at $5.1 billion. Of that total, Saskatchewan was responsible for 26 per cent, valued at over $1.3 billion. The province's top five exports to India include lentils, potash, wood pulp, peas and non-durum wheat. Saskatchewan is India's largest exporter of key products including potash and lentils.

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